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Claudius was one of the most capable, yet unlikely emperors. Shunned as an idiot by his family due to a limp and embarrassing stutter, Claudius spent the first decades of his life absorbed in scholarly studies until the death of his nephew Caligula. After Caligula's murder, the Praetorian Guard found him hiding behind a curtain in the Imperial Palace, expecting to be murdered. Instead, the guard proclaimed him emperor. His reign was marred by personal catastrophes, most notably promiscuity and betrayal by his first wife. He governed well and conquered the troublesome island of Britain. He was poisoned by his second wife, Agrippina Jr., mother of Nero.

Libertas (Latin for Liberty) was the Roman goddess and embodiment of liberty. The pileus liberatis was a soft felt cap worn by liberated slaves of Troy and Asia Minor. In late Republican Rome, the pileus was symbolically given to slaves upon manumission, granting them not only their personal liberty, but also freedom as citizens with the right to vote (if male). Following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., Brutus and his co-conspirators used the pileus to signify the end of Caesar's dictatorship and a return to a Republican system of government. The pileus was adopted as a popular symbol of freedom during the French Revolution and was also depicted on some early U.S. coins.RB86776. Copper as, RIC I 113, BMCRE I 202, BnF II 230, Hunter I 85, Cohen I 47, SRCV I 1860, gF, good portrait, obversewell centered, light marks, light corrosion, reverse slightly off center, weight 11.556 g, maximum diameter 29.6 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 42 A.D.; obverse TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP P P, bare head left; reverseLIBERTASAVGVSTA, Libertas standing right, pileus (cap worn by freed slaves) in right hand, S - C flanking across field; $140.00 (€119.00)

Libertas (Latin for Liberty) was the Roman goddess and embodiment of liberty. The pileus liberatis was a soft felt cap worn by liberated slaves of Troy and Asia Minor. In late Republican Rome, the pileus was symbolically given to slaves upon manumission, granting them not only their personal liberty, but also freedom as citizens with the right to vote (if male). Following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., Brutus and his co-conspirators used the pileus to signify the end of Caesar's dictatorship and a return to a Republican system of government. The pileus was adopted as a popular symbol of freedom during the French Revolution and was also depicted on some early U.S. coins.RB86777. Copper as, RIC I 113, BMCRE I 202, BnF II 230, Hunter I 85, Cohen I 47, SRCV I 1860, aVF, centered on a tight flan, toned bare copper, small encrustations, a bit rough, weight 11.244 g, maximum diameter 29.1 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 42 A.D.; obverse TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP P P, bare head left; reverseLIBERTASAVGVSTA S C, Libertas standing right, pileus (cap worn by freed slaves) in right hand; $95.00 (€80.75)

Claudius, 25 January 41 - 13 October 54 A.D., with Agrippina Junior

Ephesos, on the west coast of Anatolia, was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. It was famous for its Temple of Artemis, completed around 550 B.C., one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The cult image of the Ephesian goddess has a mummy-like body with the feet placed close together, is many-breasted, and from each of her hands hangs a long fillet with tassels at the ends. At her side stands a stag, raising its head to the image of the goddess. The usual symbols of this nature-goddess are the torch, stag, and the bee. Coins of Ephesos most frequently depict a bee on the obverse. The high-priest of the temple of Artemis was called King Bee, while the virgin priestesses were called honey-bees (Melissae). Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia cited in the Book of Revelation and the Gospel of John may have been written there.GB85248. Bronze assarion, Karwiese MvE 5.2Claudius & Agrippina O27/R70; RPC I 2624; SNG Cop 373; BMC Ionia p. 73, 205; Weber 2875; SNG München -; SNGvA -, F, dark green patina, weight 6.476 g, maximum diameter 19.0 mm, die axis 0o, Ephesos mint, c. 49 - 50 A.D.; obversejugate heads right of Claudius, laureate, and Agrippina, draped; reverse stag standing right, KOYΣI/NIOΣ (Causinius, magistrate) in two lines above, o/T monogram left, ∆ right, EΦE below; $90.00 (€76.50)